The American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) is a non-profit institute dedicated to the injury prevention, education and research in orthopaedic and sports medicine.
One of the co-founders of ASMI is Doctor James R. Andrews, a member of the Little League International Board of Directors and the person most responsible for bringing "pitch count" to Little League Baseball.
Doctor James R. Andrews is one of the founding members of Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
Doctor Andrews is known as a skilled orthopaedic surgeon as well as a scientific and clinical research specializing in knee, shoulder and elbow injury prevention and treatment.
His book, Any Given Monday, was written for athletes, parents and coaches and discusses sports injuries and how to prevent them.
The Number-one Risk of Arm Injuries Continues to be Year-round Play
Learn About Arm Safety Through Little League® and the Pitch Smart Program
Dr. Glenn Fleisig is the Research Director at ASMI. He is the recognized leader in baseball pitching biomechanics.
Dr. Fleisig was interviewed by Jonah Keri of Grantland Sports Podcasts regarding: The Tommy John Epidemic: What's Behind the Rapid Increase of Pitchers Undergoing Elbow Surgery? When asked about pitch counts, he said there are two mind-sets regarding pitch count, that of the pros and that of the amateurs. The mind-set of the pros is: "I'm a professional coach. I have a great job. Life is good. My job is to make sure no one gets hurt because I don't want to get fired." The mind-set of the amateur coach is: "I don't know what's gonna happen to this kid in 10 years, but I want him to help me win the championship this year."
Dr. Stan Conte, retired Medical Chief of the L.A. Dodgers presented the course on Injury Patterns in Baseball at the 2017 ASMI Conference.
He said injuries in MBL are increasing.
Fatigue is the number 1 cause of injuries in youth baseball.
Studies show
Dr. Steve Jordan, Orthopaedic Surgeon at Andrews Institute, discussed the Risk Factors in Youth Baseball Pitchers.
Generalizations:
Risk Factors:
Suggestions:
Ron Wolforth, head trainter at the Texas Baseball Ranch discussed considerations beyond pitch count that youth coaches and parents should include in their vigilance to keep youth pitchers healthy.
Coaches should have a very frank discussion with athletes about PAIN. There are 4 reasons why youth lie about pain:
Pitches per inning are more important than pitches per outing. Use the "100 push-up" analagy: 10 push-ups and rest, 10 more push-ups and rest, etc. leaves the person feeling more fresh than performing all 100 push-ups at one time. At the Baseball Ranch, instructors use the following guidelines to determine when they should pull a pitcher:
Pitching 40 pitches back-to-back as in showcases and travel ball lead to injuries.
Make sure the athlete stays hydrated, has plenty of rest and eats nutritious meals.
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Phone: 404-394-1690
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